Boiler Water Chemistry T h e chemist in power plant work is primarily an analyst, but if he is to be of real value t o his management his analysis does not stop with analytical chemistry. Analyses of plant waters and water-formed deposits are required only for a check on quality or for the correct;on of trouble. The power plant chemist is expected to make a variety of determinations as quickly as possible and with the accuracy needed for sound interpretation of the findings. Then, to do the job that is most valuable, he must know what he is looking for and why and be able to prescribe a solution to the problem. His findings will much more often supply the firm basis for sound interpretation than those of the chemist whose interest in the plant’s operation does not extend beyond his workbench. The purpose of this symposium is to introduce comprehensive schemes of analysis for use in organizing and planning power plant analysis and in choosing procedures. Procedure choice is especially important in analysis of water-formed deposits. Companion articles cover the importance and value of thorough chemical analysis for proper diagnosis and correction.
A. A. BERIZ
May 1954
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
953
The symposium o n boiler water chemistry was a j o i n t presentation of the ACS Division of Water, Sewage, and Sanitation Chemistry and the Joint Research Committee on Boiler Feedwater Studies at the 124th Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Chicago, I l l .
WATER CONDITIONING GADGETS'
.......... ANALYSIS OF WATER-FORMED DEPOSITS F. U. Neat and A. A. Berk . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANALYSIS OF INDUSTRIAL WATER J. H. Phillips and K. G . Stoffer . . . . . . . . . . . .4PPLICATIOK O F WATER'AANALYSIS DATA R. C. Ulmer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
975
...........
979
B. Q. Welder and E. P. Partridge
BOILER DEPOSIT ANALYSIS
F. E. Clarke and R. D. Hopkins
954 961 970
PAIVEL D I S C U S S I O S .
................
983
Moderators: A. A. Berk E. P. Partridge Participants : J. M. Maloney S. B. Applebaum C. Jacklin R. F. Andres W. L. Denman J. J. Maguire
REPORT OF JOINT RESE4RCH COMhIITTEE
E. P. Partridge
..................
997
Practical Performance of W ater-Conditioning Gadgets B. Q . WELDER AND EVERETT P. PARTRIDGE Hull L a b o r a t o r i e s , Znc., P i t t s b u r g h , P a .
Observations made by the service engineers of Hall Laboratories concerning the practical performance of various gadgets i n actual plant operation are reported. Gadgets are defined as special devices requiring substantially n o technical control which are alleged to treat water by nonchemical means to prevent scale, corrosion, and other troubles encountered in the industrial use of water. Gadgets are discussed in two categories-those with a n external electrical circuit and those without such a circuit. References are given describing some of the various water-conditioning gadgets which have appeared on the market since 1865. OST human beings want to get something for nothing.
*
Even the engineer with his basic belief that he call get out only what he puts in as far as energy and matter are concerned will hopefully buy a ticket that may give him a new auto if his number happens to be drawn. Add to this basic human trait the current belief that, tomorrow or possibly the day after, science will provide an easier way of meeting each of our needs and you have an explanation for the many millions of dollars gambled annually on gadgets. Let's define what we mean by gadgets. For the purposes of this paper they are special devices requiring substantially no technical control which are alleged to treat water by nonchemical means eo that the familiar troubles caused by deposition of scale or sludgc, by corrosion and cracking, or by the accumulation of organic slimes will plague us no more. Usually they are claimed t o have additional powers for good; for example, one or another will eliminate any objectionable taste and odor from water, or 1 Presented before the Fourteenth Annual Water Conference, Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Oct. 19-21, 1953.
954
remove slag deposits from the outside of t,he tubes in a boiler fed with water passed through the gadget, or improve the taste of a cigarette laid on it. Cathodic protection, properly designed, installed, and maintained by experienced engineers, has proved most effective in controlling external corrosion of pipelines buried in the ground. It has also shown promise in the protection of tanks, where the anodes can be dijt'ributed in such a manner as to provide an equal density of electrical current t o all of the surface to be protected (105). However, so far as the authors are aware, no reputable proponent of cathodic protection has yet engaged to protect the int'ernal surfaces of the complex piping or equipment in which water is conveyed and used for generation of steam, for cooling, or in a process. The promotion of gadget's is currently a t one of its periodic peaks. Any thoughtful scientist or engineer naturally terids to suspect the claims of universal utilit'y, the explanations in pseudoscieniific gobbledygook of how each gadget is supposed to function by electrical or catalytic or supersonic means, the warm testimonials from obviously well-meaning but uncrit'ical users.
INDUSTRIAL AND E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY
Vol. 46, No. 5
